Penholder.



No. 884,859. PATENTED APR. 14, 1908.

' 1 W. RITTWEGER.

PENHOLDER.

APPLICATION FILED 00T.31, 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 884,859. PATENTED APR. 14, 1908.-

W. RITTWEGER.

' PENHOLDER.

APPLICATION FILED 0GT.31. 1907 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WILHELM RITTWEGER, OF GROSS BREITENBAGH, GERMANY.

PENHOLDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 14, 1908.

Application filed October 31, 1907. Serial No. 400,046.

To all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILHELM RITTWEGER, post o'Hicer, a subject of the King of Prussia, German Emperor, residing at Gross Breitenbach, Principality of Schwarzburg-Sondershausen, Germany, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or Relating to Penholders, of which the following is a specification.

The penholders hitherto constructed for avoiding writers cramp, do not fulfil completely the purpose desired as the index finger is not completely relieved and released from any strain. When writing with the said penholders, there is still always the necessity to exercise a certain pressure on the holder. In that way, however, the nerves of the stretching and bending muscles which produce the writing cramp are strained and the old evil appears though not quite so often as when ordinary penholders are used, but still in such manner that the work has to be temporarily stopped.

The penholder according to this invention is intended to avoid any excitement of the nerves leading to the stretching and bending muscles of the index finger and the stretching and bending muscles of the thumb are also no longer strained, as the holder is held and guided exclusively by the pressure muscles of the thumb and of the small finger, as well as by the bending muscles of the central and ring finger, which hitherto were very little used, while the index finger is not used at all and simply rests idly on the head of the penholder which has the shape of a champagne cork.

A construction of the penholder according to this invention, which completely obviates or remedies writers cramp, is illustrated, by way of example, in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure l is an elevation, partly in section Fig. 1 is a detail view showing a modified form of clamp for engaging the writers intermediate fingers. Fig. 2 a plan, and Fig. 3 a front elevation; Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-section on line AB of Fig. 1, and Fig. 5 shows in perspective the holder in use with modified construction of the pen clamp.

The new penholder consists mainly of a holder part a of suitable circumference and length arranged transversely to the writing hand and having approximately the shape of a champagne cork. This holder part is made of the lightest possible material, for instance of cork, but an aluminium hollow body could equally well be used for the purpose. At the smaller, that is to say the back end, the holder part a is provided with a spring clamp b which engages with the middle and ring fingers and secures them against laterally sliding ofi from the reduced end of the holder part a. The spring clamp b can also be replaced by a T-piece b such as that shown in Fig. 1. The index finger is lying perfectly idle in a recess f on the thicker head portion of the holder a, while the said holder is held with its two ends between the thumb and the small finger, the thumb engaging with a recess 9 arranged at the front or larger end of the holder at, and with a lug c which is arranged above the pen clamp d, the latter being removably fitted into a tapered socket (1 formed obliquely in the head of the holder.

In order to adjust the pen-point at any desired position relatively to the writing sur face while the holder is held in a given position in the writers hand, a pen clamp d may be mounted interchangeably in the socket of the holder a, and the pen clamp may also be grade in the form of a crank as shown in The holder portion a or the spring clamp b, as well as all parts of the holder coming into contact with the hand, can be covered with prepared wood-sponge, leather, cloth or the like h, whereby the cold feeling produced in the hand by the bare metal surfaces is done away with, and it is known that the wood-sponge specially has a very steadying effect on the nerves and produces a warm feeling. Quite apart from that, the holder is much softer to the touch, and the index finger is not lying on a hard, but on a soft surface.

It is immaterial of which material the pen clamp d and the thumb support 0 are pre pared. Any desired material can be used. It is preferable to choose the lightest possible material and make the thumb support 0, for instance, of vulcanized rubber or the like.

As in using the penholder described, neither the stretching nor the bending muscles of the thumb and index finger are used and accordingly the nerves of the muscles producing writers cramp are not exercised, and the whole holder is held in the hand in the natural position of rest, thelhand no longer gets a cramp in writing; on the contrary, the new holder forms a medium for preventing writers cramp.

Instead of the pen or pen clamp, a pencil or the like could be inserted into the holder.

What I claim is:

1. A device of the class described comprising a holder of a length and diameter to fit transversely in the writers hand and having its ends arranged to be engaged by the thumb and little finger, a pen receiving socket being formed in one end of the holder, and means on the holder arranged to cooperate with the intermediate fingers of the hand to retain the latter in proper relation to the holder.

2. A device of the class described comprising a holder adapted to be grasped in the hand of the writer one end of the holder being provided with a pen receiving socket, a thumb support arranged on one end of the holder above said socket, and a clamp on the holder arranged to cooperate with the intermediate fingers on the hand to retain the latter in proper relation to the holder.

3. A device of the class described comprising a holder composed of a head and a reduced portion, the head having a peripheral depression to receive the index finger, and having a thumb receiving depression in the adjacent end of the holder, a pen receiving socket being formed in the said head, a clamp attached to the holder and arranged to 006perate with the intermediate fingers of the hand, and a thumb support arranged on one end of the holder above the pen socket and in proximity to the thumb receiving depres- S1011.

4. A device of the class described comprising a holder adapted to be grasped in the hand of the writer, the holder being pro vided with a socket, and a crank shaped pen clamp interchangeably and rotatably mounted in said socket.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILHELM RITTWEGER.

l/Vitnesses SoHIoK, BosENBERG. 

